Chapter 15
Dr. Jason Emerson studied his image in the full-length mirror. Everything was satisfactory. He tugged on the lapels of his evening jacket and turned slightly to the side to get a better view of his appearance.Mary, his wife, smiled as she appeared in the mirror with him. Her rounded figure was enhanced by the lines of her red moire evening gown. For the Auxiliary Valentine Dance most of the women wore red or white dresses.Jason studied his wife’s image with a critical eye. “Don’t tell me you’re going to wear those silver snowflake earrings?”“You don’t like them?”“I told you to buy those diamond-and-ruby earrings in the hospital’s gift shop. They were handcrafted by Dr. March’s father.”“When I went to the gift shop, they had been sold. Mrs. Dannon told me Dr. Morrow paid a fantastic price for them. She said they were one of a kind.”“Of course they were one of a kind. They were handcrafted by Dr. March’s father. If you had gone to the hospital when I called, you could be wearing those magnificent earrings right now.”On the way to the dance, Jason continued to criticize Mary’s dilatory practices in other matters. By the time they arrived at the dance, Mary’s spirits were quite low. Mary was delighted to see Don standing in the lobby of the hotel.“Mary!” Don exclaimed, “you look lovely!”“Thanks, Don,” Mary laughed. “Jason hates my earrings.”Oh, no, Jason muttered to himself. All evening she’s going to call attention to those miserable earrings.“Since it’s going to snow this evening, “I’d say those earrings are perfect, Mary. Save me a dance. Number three, if possible.”As Den moved away, Mary turned to Jason. “I love that man."Jason’s eyes were roving the dance floor in search of future partners. “Don's a really nice guy, but he loves to hand out the blarney.”The evening went by at a fast pace. Around midnight Jason and Mary exchanged partners with Alan and Carol. Carol was wearing a gorgeous red chiffon dress.Driving home, Mary commented, “I was amazed that so many wore white. Usually there’s a preponderance of red dresses. Carol looked so beautiful, but she wasn’t wearing your ruby-and-diamond earrings.”“Carol wasn’t wearing them, and I guess you didn’t notice Gloria Lindsay’s earrings.”“Oh, but I did. Her earrings were exquisitely beautiful.”“They could have been yours.”“You mean those are the ones from the gift shop! I thought Mrs. Dannon sold them to Dr. Morrow.”“Mrs. Dannon must have been wrong about that.”“Mrs. Dannon is never wrong.”“Well, do you think Carol gave the earrings to Gloria as a gift?”“I guess we’ll never know, Jason,” laughed Mary. “It’s one of life’s unsolved mysteries.”Chapter 16
It was March lst, 1986, and a group from Mercy Hospital was seated at several tables at the St. Louis Variety Club’s 20th anniversary “Dinner with the Stars” at the Chase Park-Plaza Hotel. The dinner preceded the telethon which would feature John Forsythe, Sammy Davis Jr., Sally Jessy Raphael, Lola Falana, Robert Guillaume, and others.“Johnny Londoff is the telethon chairman,” Mary Emerson told the French surgeon, Dr. Champlain. “He is the mastermind behind its twenty successful years. This year the telethon is expected to raise more than one and a half million dollars for St. Louis charities for children.”“How long does the telethon go on?” asked Dr. Champlain.“It begins at 10:30 this evening and continues for nineteen hours,” said Sue Delaney.Mary Emerson glanced across the table at Don Magill’s father. “Charles, I hear you are doing great work helping injured patients develop the hobby of stamp-collecting.”Dr. Charles Magill nodded his head. “When a young person has a disabling injury, it takes the heart out of the youngster. Some of them want to give up on life completely. One boy didn’t even want the Venetian blinds opened. We helped that boy get a new lease on life through stamp-collecting. That gave Don the idea of having me and some of my friends teach other patients to be young philatelists. It’s a grand hobby, and they can even learn to make a great deal of money from.”“Where do you get all the stamps?” asked Sue Delaney.“Some we get from our friends, and the schools are wonderful about collecting them and sending them over to the hospital.”“Does stamp-collecting appeal to all of the patients?” Mary Emerson inquired.“Most of them,” said Dr. Charles Magill. “Some of the young athletes prefer collecting baseball cards. We have videos for this hobby, and some of my friends can teach it.”“Alan collected baseball cards as a young boy,” said Dr. Greg Morrow. “Maybe we still have some of those cards around the house, Elaine. We could send them over to you, Charles.”Alan Morrow sent his mother a warning look.Elaine Morrow took the cue. “Those cards disappeared years ago,” she said. “I guess I gave them to the children of our friends.”“We have lots of baseball cards.” Carol said eagerly. “I’m sure Alan and I can select some that will delight the patients.”Jack Kent could see Alan Morrow’s annoyance mounting. “Look,” said Jack. “Someone is going to speak.”At that moment the introductions began of Variety Club’s Woman of the Year, Ann Liberman, and Variety Club’s Man of the Year, Sanford McDonnell. They received the awards for outstanding endeavor for children’s causes and outstanding contributions to the community, the city and the state.Alan’s anger about the baseball cards was slow to fade, but his sullen countenance went unnoticed by everyone except Jack, Carol, and Don. Carol looked so dismayed that Don gave her a reassuring wink of his eye. She rewarded him with a radiant smile.Chapter 17
Dr. Claude Champlain, a prominent French neurosurgeon, and his wife, Therese, had arrived in St. Louis in early January, 1986. On October 28 they were escorted by some members of the Mercy staff to tour the St. Louis riverfront and to view the magnificent Gateway Arch.In the sunlight the 630-foot stainless steel Arch gleamed with an iridescent mother-of-pearl beauty. Dr. Champlain and his wife stood silent with awe as they gazed at the shimmering splendor of this monument to Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase, and to St. Louis as the Gateway to the West.“It was twenty-one years ago today,” Don told the Champlains, “on October 28, 1965, that the final section of the Arch was put into place. My father brought me down here to watch that keystone section being inched into the very last space at the top.”“You must have been quite a young lad,” observed Dr. Champlain.“I was only seven years old, but I remember that event as if it were yesterday, the huge crowd cheering and applauding. It was one of the most exciting days of my life.”“This is the work of Eero Saarinen,” said Mary Emerson as she pointed to the Arch. “The Jefferson National Expansion Association sponsored a nationwide architectural competition. Out of 172 entries his work was chosen. He was a Detroit architect of Finnish ancestry.”“Now, thanks to his genius, the people of St. Louis and visitors from all over the world are enjoying the awesome beauty of this wonderful monument,” said Dr. Emerson.“It is magnifique,” murmured Mrs. Champlain. “We must get some pictures, Claude, to send home to our family and friends. I can’t find words to describe its grandeur.”As the group from Mercy Hospital began entering the Arch Museum to view the film, Monument to the Dream, Don felt someone tugging on his arm. It was Carol, and she whispered in a low voice, “See that man over there with the yellow cap and the yellow sweatshirt. I notice him at many of the places where Alan and I happen to be.”Don turned in the direction of Carol’s gaze. As he stared at the man “with the yellow cap and the yellow sweatshirt,” Don recognized that it was Carlos, the intruder he and Alan Morrow had surprised at the Morrow home.“I know who he is. I’ll tell you later,” Don murmured softly. “Don’t point him out to Alan.”Chapter 18
It was time for her “break,” and Gloria sat in the Nurses’ Lounge enjoying a snack and a glass of Dr. Pepper. The television set was on, and Gloria, like most of the nurses, was paying attention to the noon news report. The lead story was about the “Forest Park rapist,” who had been terrifying the area surrounding the park for weeks.The night before the rapist had entered a home near Forest Park. The woman who lives there had heard a suspicious noise in the hall. When the intruder entered the bedroom of the woman, she pretended to be asleep. As the rapist bent over the woman, she shoved a flashlight with great force into his left eye.As the noon news continued, it was reported that the injury to his eye caused the man to cry out with pain. The woman let out a blood-curdling scream, and the uproar brought the woman’s two sons, ages fourteen and sixteen, running down the stairs. The rapist fled and took off in a dark-colored car.A composite drawing of the rapist was flashed on the television screen. The anchorman pointed out that the rapist had a small beard and a jagged scar on his left cheek. Mesmerized, Gloria stared at the composite photograph.A few minutes later Gloria was walking in the corridor of the first floor, where she was on duty. She noticed a man lying on a gurney with a large patch on his left eye. A jagged scar was luminous against his cheek. He had a small beard. Gloria stared wide-eyed at the patient.“I know who you are!” Gloria exclaimed. “I heard all about you on the noon news. You’re the ‘Forest Park rapist’.”“Why, you …..!” The patient shouted an obscenity as he jumped off the gurney. He ran down the hall and jumped into an elevator that was standing open.Chapter 19
“Most of the people at this hospital just think of me as part of my mop handles,” Karen Brown, the cleaning woman, complained to her friend, Clarice, who was delivering trays to the patients on the third floor at Mercy.“They don’t pay me no mind, either.” Clarice said doefully.“Dr. Magill is the only one around here who gives me any attention,” said Karen. “How I love that man! I’d do anything for him.”Karen’s devotion to Don Magill began on a bitterly cold Thursday morning in St. Louis. There had been some freezing rain, and the streets were slippery. Don was working in his office about 9:30 when the phone rang.“Dr. Magill?” The voice at the other end of the line was almost a whisper.“Yes.” Don pressed the phone against his ear to hear better.“This is Karen Brown, the cleaning lady. “I’m on the corner of Kingshighway and Delmar. I’ve been waiting over an hour for my bus. Three mean-looking guys just drove by for the second time. They’re really giving me the wicked eye. I’m afraid they’ll come back.”“My God, Karen. I’ll come and get you. Stay inside a store, or crouch down in a doorway.”“Hurry, Doctor, please,” Karen’s voice trembled.Don hung up the receiver and rushed downstairs. He begrudged every second he spent warming up the car’s engine. Due to the bitter cold and ice, the streets were almost deserted. When Don approached the Lindell Blvd. intersection, he saw there were no cars coming, and he drove through a red light. There’s always a first time for everything, he thought.As Don approached the corner of Kingshighway and Delmar, his heart sank. There was no sign of Karen Brown. Then Don recalled the advice he had given her. Pulling up to the curb, Don ran up to the building on the corner. There was Karen, crouching down in the doorway. Don seized her hand, and together they ran toward his car. Just then a silver sedan with three men pulled alongside Don’s car.“There they are!” shrieked Karen as she quickly locked the door on her side. Don took off like a feather in the wind, sounding his horn loudly for about a block. At first the silver sedan started to follow them, but it soon dropped behind and then turned into a side street.Don could hear Karen trembling violently beside him. For the first time, Don remembered the heater, and he reached over to turn it on. “This car is cold, Karen. I was so worried that I forgot about the heater. Maybe I should drive you home. You’re shaking like a leaf.”“No, I’d rather go to the hospital. I’ve been so scared and so cold, but now I’m starting to feel okay.”Several seconds later Karen began to laugh almost hysterically. Don turned and gave her a questioning glance.“I was just thinking about my horoscope for today. It said this would be a wonderful day. It also said I would meet someone very wealthy.”“What makes you think I’m not wealthy?” laughed Don.Karen roared with laughter. “You’re so funny, Dr. Magill. How about that wonderful part?”“When we get to the hospital, you’ll be enjoying hot coffee and a doughnut. You’ll say, ‘This is wonderful’.”By now they were at the hospital, and Don let out a gasp of dismay as he saw four police cars in front of the entrance.As Don and Karen rushed into the lobby, they met Dr. Maxwell."What’s happening?” Don asked excitedly.“Some fellow was brought in here with an injured eye. One of the nurses, Gloria, had seen a noon news report on television about the ‘Forest Park rapist.’ On the news it was reported that his latest victim had shoved a flashlight into his eye. Since the man on the gurney fit the description of the rapist, with his injured eye and scar on his cheek, Gloria went up to him and said, ‘I heard all about you on the noon news. You’re the Forest Park rapist!’”“Good God!” said Don shaking his head in disbelief.“The fellow cursed Nurse Gloria, jumped off the gurney, ran down the hall, and disappeared. The police are searching for him now.”“There goes the wonderful day,” Karen murmured to herself.Don asked, “Do the policemen think that this man is the ‘Forest Park rapist’?”“They certainly do,” said Dr. Maxwell. “Now, thanks to Gloria, he’s running loose. Hopefully, he’s departed from the hospital. I’ll keep you posted, Don.”Chapter 20
Karen Brown, the cleaning lady on the third floor at Mercy, was chatting with Clarice, her friend who worked in the cafeteria at Mercy Hospital.“I keep telling you, Clarice, everyone thinks I’m just part of this mop handle. They don’t credit me with having eyes or ears. Many a day about 2:00 I see Miss Goldilocks sashaying herself down the hall. She opens the door that leads to the stairway. Then about two minutes later, a certain doctor comes along and opens that same doorway. Now mind you, there’s an elevator on both sides of that hall. Hardly anyone uses that stairway. One day my curiosity got the best of me. After they had both gone through the doorway, I took the elevator downstairs and waited on the second floor. Fifteen minutes later, Miss Goldilocks emerged, and several minutes later, the doctor came through the same door. It took them fifteen minutes to walk the stairs from Floor Three to Floor Two.”Clarice gave her cackling laugh. “My, that is a slow walk. Maybe she and Dr. Kent think it’s the stairway to the stars.”“I didn’t say anything about Dr. Kent. Miss Goldilocks does go out to dinner with him, and she does roll her eyes at Dr. Magill. But, mark my words, Clarice, she walks the stairs with someone else.”“Tell me who it is, Karen. I can’t stand not knowing."“You couldn’t stand not telling either. Next thing you know, I would have the reputation of being the hospital gossip.”“Just wait, Karen, until I get myself a juicy morsel. I won’t share it with you.”Karen shrugged her shoulder. “Things may be different when we both have something to share. Until then, I’m keeping this juicy morsel in my safe deposit box.”“Your safe deposit box!” Clarice shouted with laughter. "You don’t have a safe deposit box.”“My head is my safe deposit box,” declared Karen. “As long as I keep it up here, it’s safe.” Karen tapped her forehead to emphasize her point.Chapter 21
Victoria always managed to transform her parties into “enchanted evenings.” Her New Year’s Eve party was no exception. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were served in the spacious living room, and after an hour or so of social merriment, dinner was served.At each guest’s place was a souvenir booklet of pictures and activities relating to the outstanding events of 1986. Among them were: the January 28th explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, the April 26th explosion of the Soviet Union’s Chernobyl nuclear plant, and the July 4th celebration of the Statue of Liberty’s 100th birthday.Victoria had designed the attractive booklet, and many compliments were lavished on her by the appreciative guests. Alan Morrow was especially extravagant with praise, and Don thought ruefully of the meager admiration Alan had expressed that morning for Jack Kent’s outstanding heart transplant surgery.After dinner strains of music came from the downstairs ballroom, and Victoria invited everyone to go downstairs for dancing. Don was about to follow Carol and Mary Emerson down the stairs when he noticed Victoria’s poodle, Jennie, in the reception hall. Don bent over to pet Jennie and to murmur a few kind words. Seconds later, as Don was descending the staircase to the ballroom, he suddenly remembered that he had left his 1986 souvenir booklet on the dining room table. Don slipped up the stairs quietly, so as not to be noticed by Jennie.A few steps away from the dining room, Don glanced into the room, and his gaze traveled to the large mirrored wall on the west side. He stood transfixed by the scene he saw reflected in the dining-room mirror. In the living room Alan Morrow was embracing a tall woman wearing a white sequined dress. The pair was standing by the Christmas tree, and the woman’s head and figure were obscured by the tree branches. Don walked swiftly toward the staircase to the ballroom. Once again he forgot to pick up his souvenir booklet.There was an interlude between dances, and the movie, Meet Me in St. Louis, was being shown on the giant screen at the north end of the ballroom. After a few minutes, Don noticed Gloria’s white-gowned figure moving slowly down the stairs. Several minutes later, Alan Morrow strolled nonchalantly down the stairs, a rather self-conscious expression on his handsome face.Was it Gloria he had seen in the mirror, Don wondered. Gloria was more or less going steady with Jack Kent, who was so exhausted from the five-hour operation he had performed earlier that day, that he had told Don he would be unable to attend the party.Five minutes later Victoria walked slowly down the stairs. Surveying the guests, her green eyes seemed to scan the crowd noting the activity of each individual in the semi-darkened ballroom. She was wearing a stunning white gown. Her height seemed to match that of the image reflected in the mirror. Victoria Lacey --- the woman in the mirror. Don’s mind wanted to reject that idea.Chapter 22
As Carol wheeled the cart of books through the corridor of the Pediatrics section, she stopped by Room 108 to gaze at the motionless little form on the bed. Anna Marie, who had suffered near-fatal injuries in a car crash, had been in a coma for over three weeks. There were no visitors, so Carol slipped into the room and sat by the child’s bedside.Holding the little girl’s hand gently in her own, Carol spoke softly, “Anna Marie, I have a wonderful book for you. It’s called Jack and the Beanstalk. Please open your eyes, so I’ll know that you are listening to the story.”As Carol spoke to Anna Marie each day, she felt a communion of spirit with the little girl. While lending encouragement to Anna Marie, Carol felt that she was, in turn, deriving strength from the small child, who was so valiantly fighting a battle for life against tremendous odds. Out of loyalty to Alan, Carol had never mentioned to a single person how disappointing her marriage had proved to be. Alan and she lived life on two entirely different wavelengths. Although she realized that she and Alan would never be soulmates, Carol was determined to make his life as wonderful as possible so that Alan could develop his full potential as an outstanding surgeon.Carol gazed tenderly at the pale, lovely face. “I pray for you every day, darling. I know some day soon you will open your eyes and smile at me. Your name is Anna Marie, and my name is Carol Marie.”Carol heard a sound and felt a presence in the room. Turning around, she saw Victoria Lacey standing there. Victoria had a sardonic expression in her eyes, and her lips were twisted in a derisive smile.Barely glancing at the child in the bed, Victoria said in a deprecating tone, “Carol, instead of wasting your time here talking to someone who can’t hear you, why don’t you come upstairs and help us make the favors for the Auxiliary luncheon next month.”As Carol rose quickly from the chair, she said, “Goodbye, Anna Marie. I’ll come back to visit you later on today.”Victoria turned away so Carol would not see the expression of disdain on her face. Gad, thought Victoria, why did a man like Alan marry someone so different from himself?Don Magill brought a vase of flowers into Room 108. His mother often sent flowers to bolster the spirits of Anna Marie’s mother, Mrs. Ledger, who kept a daily vigil at Anna Marie’s bedside. As Don placed the Vase of flowers on the dresser, he glanced into the mirror. Don’s heart skipped a beat. In the mirror he saw the little girl staring at him with her eyes opened wide.Turning around, Don said gently, “Hi. I brought you some flowers.” “Hi,” said the little girl. She looked bewildered.“I’m Don Magill. Would you tell me your name?”“Anna Marie.”Thank you, God, thought Don.“Are you hungry, Anna Marie?”“Kind of.”“Would you like some strawberry Jello and milk?”“Yes. “To Don’s dismay, at that moment Gloria entered the room. Don knew he could count on Gloria to say all the wrong things; she proved him right.“Well,” said Gloria in a loud voice, “I see our little sleeping beauty has come out of her ……”“Gloria,” interrupted Don, “would you call Dr. Emerson about Anna Marie, and would you please have the dietitian send up some milk and strawberry Jello?”Before complying with Don’s request, Gloria turned at the doorway and smiled sweetly. “I bet you really miss your mother, Anna Marie.”Anna Marie began to cry. “I want my Mommy.”Sometimes I’d like to boil that Gloria in oil, thought Don.“Look, Anna Marie, here’s Raggedy Ann, here’s Barbie, here’s Ken, and Shirley Temple.” Don began to show the little girl all the dolls sent to her by many well-wishers who had learned the story about the near-fatal accident on television news.Anna Marie was reaching out to take Raggedy Ann when her mother appeared in the doorway. The expression on the mother’s face was a sight that Don never forgot during his entire life. The mother’s face became illuminated with joy. She stood stock-still, not daring to believe her eyes.Don didn’t want Mrs. Ledger to swoop down too heartily on the little girl, whose lifeline was still very fragile.“Take it easy now,” he said gently to the mother.Anna Marie called out with delight, “Mom!”Mrs. Ledger beat and kissed Anna Marie gently. “My little girl, my little girl,” she murmured. Tears of joys flowed down the mother’s cheek.“Don’t cry, Mom,” said Anna Marie.“I’m crying because I’m so happy, darling.”“I was showing Anna Marie all the dolls she received from her many friends in St. Louis,” said Don. “She wants to hold Raggedy Ann.”When Carol arrived at Room 108 a little while later, she was astounded to see Dr. Emerson in the room talking to Anna Marie and her mother. Dr. Emerson beckoned for Carol to come into the room. Carol brought with her the pop-up book of Jack and the Beanstalk.“I think Anna Marie will enjoy this book about Jack and his beanstalk. See how the pictures pop up.” Carol opened a few pages to show Anna Marie a few of the most interesting scenes.Anna Marie’s face lit up with recognition. “Oh, I know you. You’re Carol Marie.”Dr. Emerson, Mrs. Ledger, and Carol stared at each other in amazement. “This is incredible,” said Dr. Emerson."How do you know this is Carol Marie?” asked Mrs. Ledger."She told me so. I heard her saying, ‘You’re Anna Marie, and I’m Carol Marie.’ You remember, don’t you?” Anna Marie asked, looking at Carol.Carol took the little girl’s hand in hers. “Of course, I do, darling.”Chapter 23
When Don left the hospital each afternoon he usually had a few minutes of conversation with the security guard. Charlie had a lonely occupation, and he liked to converse with Don on any subject. It could be the weather or some show Charlie had watched on television. Don tried to have some exciting hospital news to pass on to Charlie, news that would momentarily ease the boredom of the security guard’s life.When Don left Mercy at 6:30, it was dusk. Charlie was nowhere to be seen as Don stepped out on the parking lot. Don felt a pang of disappointment. He had wanted to tell Charlie about the miraculous recovery of the child in a coma. Some of the child’s involvement in a near-fatal car accident had been reported on the television news. Hearing additional details would have added some zest to Charlie’s monotonous job.As his gaze traveled around the parking lot, Don noticed a man’s figure moving away from Dr. Morrow’s car and then gliding stealthily among the other cars. The figure looked familiar. With a start, Don realized it was Carlos, the intruder at Alan Morrow’s home.Don stepped back in the building to locate Charlie and to leave a message for Alan that he had observed Carlos near Alan’s car. Don learned that Charlie was absent from his post because he had been summoned by the front entrance guard to help extinguish a fire in the vestibule of the hospital. The fire had been deliberately set in a small pile of refuse dumped in the vestibule. Don suspected Carlos might have set the fire to divert security’s attention away from the parking lot. Alerted to the presence of Carlos, Charlie promised Don he would keep a close watch for any suspicious activity.Chapter 24
Nurse Gloria strolled with an assumed nonchalance down the third floor corridor of Mercy. I’m glad the hall is empty, she thought. There’s the cleaning woman, but she doesn’t notice anything. I hope he’ll be on time today. Suddenly Gloria became aware of footsteps behind her. These footsteps seemed to be dogging Gloria’s. It wasn’t like him to follow so closely behind. Gloria stopped suddenly. The footsteps behind her stopped. Gloria didn’t turn around. He had told her many times not to show any awareness of his presence. Before our rendezvous on the stairway he’s supposed to allow an interval of a few minutes. Is this some game he’s playing?Then, without warning, as she passed the open door of the huge linen closet, Gloria felt herself being pushed into the closet. She tried to scream, but a large hand was clamped over her mouth like a vise. Then Gloria felt two powerful hands around her throat trying to strangle her. She couldn’t breathe, and she felt her strength ebbing from her. Gloria couldn’t scream, but at that moment a blood-curdling shriek filled the air. Gloria’s attacker threw her against the wall of the linen closet, bolted out the door, and ran around the corner of the intersecting corridor.“There he goes!” someone yelled, and there was the sound of feet running in pursuit. Ashen-faced and trembling, Gloria emerged from the closet. Nancy Graham, one of the nurses, threw her arms around Gloria, who slumped against her. Gloria was still trembling.“What happened?” asked Nancy Graham addressing her question to both Gloria and Karen Brown, who was standing nearby. “We heard you screaming, Karen. Then we heard some running in the hall.”“A man pushed me into the linen closet,” Gloria said breathlessly. “He began choking me. I couldn’t breathe. Then I heard this loud shriek, and he threw me against the wall. Are you the one who screamed?” Gloria asked the cleaning woman.“I saw some fellow push you into the linen closet,” said Karen. “Then I heard some scuffling sounds in there. I was scared, so I just did what came naturally. I opened my mouth and yelled.”“Thank God, you did.” declared Gloria. “If it weren’t for you, that man would have strangled me.”When Mr. Baxter, the head of security at the hospital, asked Gloria if she could describe her assailant, Gloria replied, “I didn’t see him at all. All I know about him,” said Gloria ruefully, “is that he has very powerful hands.”Karen Brown spoke up forcefully, “I can give you a very good description of Nurse Gloria’s attacker. I know exactly what he looks like.”At that moment Dr. Alan Morrow appeared in the hall. He took one look at Gloria’s ashen face and the small group standing around her before asking, “What’s going on here?”Gloria’s eyes suddenly became tearful. “0h, Alan,” she said, “someone tried to kill me!”“Tried to kill you!” Alan Morrow’s eyes grew wide in amazement. “My God, who would do a thing like that?”Visiting hours were about to begin, and Don Magill, who had arrived on the scene, suggested that everyone go to his office. “The assailant seems to have escaped, but security and the police will be searching for him. They need your description, Karen, since Gloria didn’t see him.”“I got a good look at him, Dr. Magill,” said Karen. “He had a face that only a mother could love.”“God only knows what would have happened here today, Karen, if you hadn’t been so alert and so quick to act. We all owe you a big debt of gratitude.”“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me, Dr. Magill,” said Karen.Later that day some detectives showed Karen Brown a number of photographs of possible suspects. Without hesitation, Karen selected one picture whose subject she said looked “exactly like Nurse Gloria’s attacker.”The detectives informed Don Magill that it was a picture of the “Forest Park rapist,” who several months earlier had jumped off his gurney and fled from the hospital after Gloria told him she recognized him from the noon news report.
